Hello Summertime!

It's June already? Can you believe it?! I'm really looking forward to long sunny days on the water with a warm breeze sailing away! Even though we live in a mild climate all year long, there's just something about June that puts an extra spring in my step. Maybe it's the longer days, concerts in the park on a balmy evening, or my beloved plumerias blooming away in the yard. Doug and I have spruced up the patio, bought a new grill and Lulu, our French bulldog, loves her new puppy pool to cool off in. We are totally ready for some fun this summer! 

We've had an incredible first half of the year at WSA-OC and our second half is equally as promising with enjoyable events planned both on and off the water. Be sure not to miss the global celebration of Summer Sailstice. We'll be celebrating on Saturday, June 23rd in Dana Point Harbor with a relaxing social sail and post sail happy hour (this event is currently full). Our event of the summer will be our Catalina Rendezvous July 27-29 in Two Harbors, joining up with Long Beach WSA for some island fun. It's going to be a weekend you won't want to miss! We will be dark in July and will resume our general meetings in August, but be sure to keep watch on our Members Only Facebook Group for some Pop Up Events i.e. casual get-togethers to keep the fun times rolling along this summer.

No matter what your summer plans are make it a safe and joyful one. To all our WSA-OC Dads, wishing you a Happy Father's Day!  I will leave you with some June trivia: The month of June is named after the Roman goddess Juno, the wife of Jupiter. Juno was known as the patron of marriage and was responsible for the wellbeing of women. The Flower of June is the rose, which symbolizes love and beauty.

Sails Up!

We're so excited to plan this weekend for our members! What a great little staycation getaway, Catalina Island in the summer! We hope you don't miss out on this sure to be fun event. What's even better is that we'll be meeting up with our sister organization, Long Beach WSA! We're still hammering out the fine details, but your weekend will look something like this: 

Friday, July 27th - Day 1

Meet your boat, at the designated port, and leave at your leisure with your WSA-OC boat crew. You'll arrive at Two Harbors/The Isthmus sometime on Friday and get a mooring WSA-OC will cover the cost. Friday evening will be celebrated with a raft up - you'll join WSA members from both chapters OC and LB - where we'll meet at a designated host boat for cocktails and appetizers! FYI, there will be a full moon on this night.

Saturday, July 28th - Day 2

Breakfast and lunch on your own. This will be a great time to mingle with LB WSA members, as well as our own. Bring your kayaks, paddleboards (check with your skipper to see if they can be accommodated) and snorkel gear. Let's spend and enjoy more time IN the water, instead of on top of it. Saturday night will be our burger barbecue on shore with both clubs.

Sunday, July 29th - Day 3

Breakfast on your own, wouldn't it be nice if we all met on shore for a final meal? Leave for home at your leisure.

Join us for a day sail in Dana Point to celebrate the longest sailing day of the year, Summer Sailstice!  We'll meet in Dana Point Harbor in front of Harpoon Henry's on June 23rd at 11:00 a.m. for our group pictures and pick up our lunches. YES, WSA-OC will provide lunches for everyone on board! The event is full, but you can still sign up for Summer Sailstice wait list. 

Then we'll head off to our boat assignments to be on the water by noon. Our goal is enjoy every minute of the day, even the extra one we get on the longest day of the year! We should be back at the dock by 3:00 p.m. where everyone will help put away the boats and tidy up.

And what would any event be without having our traditional beverages and appetizers afterward? We'll meet at El Torito for an after sail Summer Sailstice celebration!

We still would love to have a couple more boats sign up to participate so we can accommodate more members for this fun event.  Email Event Chair Karen Pacella  if you want more information about how you can participate as a boat owner.

Mark Hughston of Santana Sailing was our guest speaker and he took us on a very entertaining tour of the Channel Islands. Mark described the beauty and difficulty of sailing in these waters as we watched a gorgeous slideshow of his travels. He imparted the importance of having a pre-sail safety checklist and using it every time you go out on a boat. "Don't be complacent, that's when bad things happen." 

Mark was kind enough to share two of his checklists 'pre-cruise' and 'underway' along with his 'Santa Cruz Island cove chart' with us. He is also offering a 20% discount to WSA-OC members for any goods or services, including classes, at Santana Sailing use promo code 'WSA-OC' at checkout.